


Under Covers

by myungjunnie



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Explicit Language, M/M, Physical Abuse, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, if you don't like it blame vonseal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2019-08-27 02:58:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16694131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myungjunnie/pseuds/myungjunnie
Summary: Broken and alone in the world of being a sex worker to fund his brothers university tuition, Myungjun has no one to turn too. this may all change though when Jinwoo appears in his life.





	1. Home

He was running, the sounds of bombs going off in every direction. He tore through the streets of Damascus, breaths heavy as he went. He had been placed in active duty when entering the military, his small yet agile and muscular form an asset to the Korean military. Jinwoo entered a home where a mother and her child were crouched on the floor in the corner, crying. He heard a subtle beeping noise in the back room, running into the room he hoped he could disarm it before this family was lost in the rubble of the building. He found the bomb easily and began cutting the proper wires after removing the control panel; though once the wires were cut the bomb continued to blare, getting louder each second. After a while the scene began to fade and he found himself in his bedroom in the small apartment he rented, the buzzing alarm clock on his bedside table reading the time: 6:00AM. He turned the alarm off and pulled the sheets on his bed over his face and sighed.

Eventually he got up and dressed himself, the clothes he wore all part of his facade. He had a few meetings to get through today with several ring leaders, nothing special. As usual, there wasn't really anything particularly special about his life.

He left his apartment at 7:30AM. The first of his meetings was at 8:20, but it was relatively close. He slid behind the wheel of his car and drove in silence to the meeting, practicing what he was going to say and wondering how many girls they would hand over today. He rarely saw male call girls being freed; they were too valuable to let go of.

The first three meetings he took part in went relatively smoothly. He was able to secure four more girls for his brothel. They were all in pretty bad shape but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. He headed over to his favorite cafe for a few hours to do some paperwork before his next meeting. All the girls he brought in had to be registered and given alternate identification, for now they were in holding. He’d left them in the hands of his best girls who were making sure they were getting cleaned up, given real clothes and food, and were speaking to his on-call psychologist.

After a few hours he looked at his watch: 7:30PM. He sighed heavily, the next meeting he had wasn't for nearly another hour. He normally enjoyed the company of this ring leader though. He was extremely tall and handsome, everything Jinwoo wasn't. His family also had a lot of money and funded the opening of his brothel, something Jinwoo would never understand. He decided to head over early and spend a while talking to the girls at this brothel, to get a better grip on exactly how things were being ran there, to see if he needed to step in.

The hallways here were freezing, and Jinwoo shivered under the long sleeves he was wearing, wishing he could go back to his car to grab his jacket. A scantily clad, pencil-thin girl led him around the halls, showing him where everything was. Then he heard something - or someone, rather; He froze and then heard his friend (or, rather, acquaintance) screaming at someone in the next room over.

  
“ _You whore! You stupid fucking slut!_ ” He heard another man scream after a series of slaps and someone crying out. The new voice was male, but high pitched.

Jinwoo sauntered into the room, wanting to see the source of the pained honey-like voice for himself, hearing such an angelic voice crying out in pain and fear made him feel uneasy. He knew this brothel treated their workers the worst out of all the others. The rage in him was building as he mentally prepared to save the man crying out for help, not realizing his heart was racing.  

  
The owner of the voice was knelt on the floor. He wore some kind of satin bodice, a lace choker on his neck, and his hair was curly, dyed a light orange. Jinwoo wondered how it must feel, and he longed to run his fingers through it. However, duty called, and so he coughed instead and the boy on the floor whipped his head around. He had squishy cheeks and the most beautiful plump lips Jinwoo had ever laid eyes on. The boy looked up at him in fear and confusion as his ‘friend’ continued detailing what the angel had done wrong. Jinwoo didn’t believe any of it; no one this beautiful could do anything wrong.

  
“You’re so fucking useless, Myungjun,” Dongmin scoffed at the boy knelt on the floor. “How fucking dare you let a client fuck you and then get away without paying?”

  
_Myungjun. So that’s the name of the angel,_ Jinwoo thought to himself, but he continued to let the scene play out. Usually when something like this happened, Dongmin wasn’t very nice about it. His call girls always suffered abuse but Jinwoo was never around to witness it. This time however he was, and he wanted to stop all of the pain this man was putting Myungjun through.

  
Myungjun whimpered, in obvious pain from being on his knees on a cold, hard concrete floor for so long. He looked up at Jinwoo with pleading eyes before starting, “He drugged me, I couldn’t do anything, he... sir, he raped me, it’s not my fault, I promise I’ll make up for this, I swear.” A single tear fell down Myungjun’s cheek as he choked back the rest. Dongmin started up again, louder this time, more angry at what had just been confessed.

  
“You’re so fucking useless, I’d probably be better off killing you. You’re such a fucking useless whore.”

  
Jinwoo wanted to take Myungjun away. He wanted to save him from all of this pain. Now of course, Jinwoo was a pimp too, but, he treated all of his call girls with respect. They were all well-fed and clothed and he had a therapist on site in his brothel to take care of them. Dongmin was sleazy, however. He beat and whipped and starved his girls.

Jinwoo had been lost in thought and quickly returned his mind to the scene in front of him when he heard Myungjun crying out.

  
“ _Help me! Please don't let him do this!_ ”

Jinwoo looked down. Dongmin was holding a gun to Myungjuns head. He involuntarily tried to reach for the gun to pull it away, but then stopped himself, taking his outreached hand up to scratch his head.

No. He had to play this cool. Pimps killed their girls all the time and this was no different, to Dongmin, at least. Myungjun was just another body to use, but Jinwoo had to step in. He’d never been so completely enamored with anyone like this before.

  
“Dongmin?”

“What the fuck do you want?”

“Him.”

“What?”

“Give me him.” Jinwoo said pointing at Myungjun. “You’re going to kill him anyway, right? Just give him to me and I’ll pay you off. It’ll save you the paperwork and you can make up the money he lost and then some.”

  
These situations were always business. He had to play it like he just wanted another whore, not like he was falling in love with someone he’d never really spoken to before.  
Dongmin sighed, and pulled the gun away from Myungjun’s head. Jinwoo paid Dongmin for the boy and left the room. As soon as he was gone Jinwoo knelt to the floor as Myungjun collapsed.

  
Jinwoo was unsure what to do at first, but then he heard a quiet sob leave the other boy’s lips.

  
“Thank you, thank you so much. You didn’t have to do that. He’s so mean and ... look at my knees.” The boy pulled his knees to his chest and, as Jinwoo expected, they were bloody and bruised.

After a second Myungjun broke the silence in the cold room, his voice pained and scared, but bringing light and warmth with it. “So, what now?” the boy curled up on the floor in front of him asked softly, almost in a whisper.

Jinwoo sighed softly. He longed to comfort Myungjun, to play with his hair and make him happy. “First off, I guess introductions are in order?” he proceeded, smiling at the boy who was looking up at him curiously. The fear already subsiding from his eyes as he realized Jinwoo wasn't going to hurt him. “My name is Jinwoo. I’m twenty-four and I have a cute little black and white dog waiting for me at home. Do you want to see pictures?” Jinwoo loved Haegi, and he hoped Myungjun would, too. He looked down and the other boy had managed to scoot himself closer. His arms gave out as he made one last push closer to Jinwoo, landing his head on jinwoos thigh.

Jinwoo gasped in shock. Myungjun looked up at him with wide eyes and asked, “Is this okay? I can move if you don't like it.” After all he'd been through, Jinwoo wouldn’t dare tell Myungjun to move, so instead he smiled at the boy resting his head on his lap.

“This is fine,” Jinwoo said, curling his fingers into Myungjun’s hair. Myungjun let out a soft sigh at the gentle touch of the other boy as he flipped through the pictures of Haegi. Myungjun smiled at the phone placed in front of him. After a while, Jinwoo began to ask Myungjun questions, all of which the answers were short but thorough, but Jinwoo didn't mind. He could listen to Myungjun talk forever.

“Do you have any family?”

“Yes, well, only a little brother.”

“What happened to your parents?”

“My dad walked out on my mom when I was a toddler. He never wanted kids. My mom got remarried a few years later and then had my brother, so we’re far apart in age, but I love him more than anything.”

“How much of an age gap is there?”

“Seven years. He started university last year, which is why I'm… here.”

Jinwoo didn't want to push Myungjun any further for now. He could tell he'd been through a lot so he just continued playing with his hair. He felt the other boy nuzzle into his lap, he could tell he was drifting into sleep. They needed to get out of there before Myungjun dozed off any further, so he whispered into the other boy’s ear, waking him from his trance.

“Come on, honey, let's get you out of here.”

“Where are we gonna go?” Myungjun asked drearily, looking up at Jinwoo with the most beautiful puppy eyes he'd ever seen. His nose was slightly pink on the tip and his eyes and lips were slightly puffy from crying and sleep deprivation, but he was still stunning.

“Home.” Jinwoo said simply. Myungjun nodded at him sleepily, moving his head from Jinwoo's lap. Jinwoo rose to his feet, helping the other boy stand, too. He put his arm around Myungjun’s waist to support him and lead him to his waiting car. After sliding him into the passenger seat, Jinwoo got behind the wheel, smiling softly at the scared boy to his side. “Let's get you home,” he said before driving off into the night.


	2. Lashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long drive, Jinwoo gets Myungjun home safe. Though his daily tasks seem to become less work with Myungjun around, caring for someone with such past traumas will end up taking a toll, or will they?

As they drove through the city, Jinwoo glanced over at Myungjun in the passenger seat. His cheek was squished against the window and every few seconds, Jinwoo caught his eyes fluttering open and then drooping closed. The other boy was obviously exhausted and Jinwoo wanted to get him back to the safe house as soon as possible. It would be a long night but it would be worth it if he made sure Myungjun was safe.

They pulled up outside the safe house, which Jinwoo had disguised as a brothel. As they parked, Myungjun’s eyes fluttered open again. “Ji-Jinwoo where are we?” he questioned. Jinwoo could hear the audible fear in the other boy’s voice, so he reached over to comfort him. When Myungjun pulled away from the touch, Jinwoo knew he needed to explain himself.

“Myungjun?”

“What?”

“You asked me where we are. Let me explain. You see, I'm not actually a pimp. This isn’t a brothel. I disguised it as one so I could go under the radar. it's actually a saf-“

“No.”

“What do you mean  _ no _ ?”

“The last time I was in a situation like this, Dongmin tricked me. He told me I needed to wait at a brothel for a client, and then it was cold so I went inside. That’s when all the abuse started. I'm not going back into another brothel. Not ever.”

“Myungjun, it's not a brothel. Let me take you inside and show you-“

“Jinwoo, I said no.”

“Then where do you want to go?”

“You said we were going ‘home’. Well this doesn’t look like a home to me.”

“It’s a rehabilitation center”

“Jinwoo, how many times do I have to say no? Or are you going to force me to do something I'm not comfortable with?” Myungjun sighed, and under his breath, so Jinwoo could barely make out what he was saying, he whispered, “You're no better than anyone else that I've worked for. I thought you were different, but you just want to use me, too.”

At that Jinwoo knew he couldn’t make Myungjun go into the safe house, no matter how much trouble he'd get into. So he looked at the boy sitting beside him, who had his eyes on the floor and his head bowed in shame. Jinwoo wondered exactly how much Myungjun had actually been through, but he dare not ask, especially when he'd already broken what little trust he had gained by coming here.

“Okay, then, I'll take you home, to my apartment, if that’s what you want?” Jinwoo asked softly.

Myungjun’s eyes rose to meet his, a slight blush coming to his cheeks as he nodded at Jinwoo slowly. “I'd like nothing more,” he said, reaching his hand over and intertwining his fingers with Jinwoo’s, smiling at him as they made their way to Jinwoo’s small apartment.

Jinwoo let Myungjun into the door. As Haegi barked at the newcomer, Myungjun immediately crouched to let the dog sniff his hand.

“I need to take her out for a walk. If you want to go take a shower, I'll grab you some clothes before I go.” 

Myungjun nodded at jinwoo, “a shower would be nice.” he said, rubbing his hands up and down his arms to warm them through the thin silk shirt he wore.

Jinwoo shuffled into his room and dug through his closet after showing Myungjun to the shower and letting him know he was more than welcome to use anything in there. He reached for the bag of clothes he kept in the bottom of the closet. He’d been meaning to take it to charity for months but he kept forgetting. He grabbed a few t-shirts, a pair of sweatpants, and an old, ratty hoodie that he couldn’t bring himself to throw out. He folded the clothes and grabbed a few new pairs of underwear which he took into his spare bedroom and placed on the bed. He heard Myungjun turn on the shower as he opened the door to leave. As Jinwoo wandered around his apartment complex letting Haegi stretch her legs, his mind began to wander back to Myungjun; after the slight glimpse he had seen of his life with Dongmin, he wondered how traumatized Myungjun really was. Lost in his own head, he let Haegi lead, his thoughts consisting of the mysterious boy now showering in his apartment. Jinwoo was curious of what Myungjun’s life was like before he had started working for Dongmin, what his relationship was like with his family. Jinwoo even wondered if Myungjun had any friends, even daring to think whether he’d had any past relationships. At some point, Jinwoo found himself walking right up to his front door. After going inside and unclasping Haegi’s leash, he collapsed onto the couch. Not a second after he sat down, he heard the shower shut off.

Myungjun wandered into the room, oblivious to the fact Jinwoo had returned from his walk. Jinwoo glanced up when he saw Myungjun, the towel Jinwoo had given him was wrapped lazily around his waist. Myungjun’s back and shoulders were covered in scars and new marks; they looked like lashes. His small tummy was covered in bruises, some more faded than others. When Myungjun saw the younger boy laying on the couch, looking at his scars and marks in horror, he ran into the spare room and shut the door quickly. A few minutes later, Jinwoo heard a quiet sob come out of the room. He rose, wanting to be sure Myungjun was okay.

Jinwoo knocked gently on the door. “Myungjun, honey? Are you alright?” His voice was full of more concern than he had intended for it to be. Myungjun cracked the door open, now wearing one of Jinwoo’s shirts and the underwear he had laid on the bed. Tears streaked down Myungjun’s cheeks and he opened the door wider, allowing Jinwoo inside.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m just…” Myungjun choked out before continuing to sob. Jinwoo wrapped the other boy into a hug as he sobbed into his chest. “I haven’t had someone truly care for me in so long. I just met you, but you let me into your space, gave me my own room and a bed. You gave me your clothes, too. I guess I’m just..” Myungjun was at a loss for words, so Jinwoo finished the sentence for him.

“Overwhelmed?”

“Yeah.”

Jinwoo glanced down at Myungjuns bare legs, “are the pants i gave you too big?”

Myungjun looked down at the floor, “i don't know i didn't try them on.”

Jinwoo brushed Myungjuns slightly wet hair through his fingers, “what's wrong with them?” he asked gently.

“I- I normally don't like wearing pants? My legs get really hot at night.”

“Would you like something else then? I don't mind getting you some of my shorts.”

“Shorts would be great, thank you, im sorry im such a bother.” he said with a sigh.

“Of course, and you're not a bother. I want to help you, okay? Give me a sec, I'll get you the shorts.” Jinwoo disappeared into his room as Myungjun sat on the couch beside Haegi, who was napping.. A few seconds later, Jinwoo reappeared with a pair of basketball shorts and some socks.

“Here you are. Are you hungry? I'm gonna make some dinner for us. Do you have any food allergies or anything you aren’t fond of?”

Myungjun slid the shorts and socks on and then looked up at Jinwoo, “I'm starving. And no, not really, I'll eat pretty much anything.”

“Okay! Give me a few minutes. You can watch TV with Haegi while you wait. She loves watching  _ Animal Planet. _ The bird documentaries are her favorite.” Jinwoo offered Myungjun the remote and a gentle smile. Myungjun took the remote and returned the smile. Haegi slid closer to Myungjun,demanding belly rubs, as Jinwoo started dinner. 

Jinwoo was in the middle of chopping vegetables when he heard a giggle escape Myungjun’s mouth. He looked up to see Myungjun on the couch with the biggest, brightest, most toothy smile he'd ever seen, laughing at his dog as she drug herself along the couch, begging for his attention. Jinwoo had never seen someone shine so brightly in his life, and he decided at that moment that he would give Myungjun the world if that meant he could see the other boy smile like that for the rest of his life.

He delivered a simple dinner of chicken fried rice, which Myungjun ate like it was the best thing he'd ever tasted.

“Sorry for it being so simple. We can go grocery shopping tomorrow and get some things that you like. I've been meaning to go to the store for a few days now, anyway.”

Myungjun nodded, and added, “I think it's amazing! Dongmin wouldn’t let us buy anything more than instant food you can microwave. I honestly don’t remember the last time I had a real vegetable, so it's really good.”

They finished up dinner and Jinwoo washed up, watching Myungjun play with Haegi. Myungjun found out she loved tug of war and was now making her chase him through the apartment, dangling a rope toy behind him. She was barking and leaping at him as he ran around, and his laughter filled the small space with more joy than Jinwoo had felt in, well, forever. Maybe there was something special in his life now. This was special, he thought as he watched the other boy collapse on his sofa, winded from Haegi chasing him. The small dog leapt onto the couch and, after spinning a few times, curled into Myungjun’s side, sending Myungjun into a fit of laughter, the sound of which made Jinwoo’s heart burst.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Jinwoo joined the other two on the couch. Myungjun was exhausted from the long day he'd had and snuggled into Jinwoo's side, sighing contently. They fell asleep on the couch watching a nature documentary.

Jinwoo woke up a few hours later and looked at the clock. 3 AM. He wiggled out of Myungjun’s grasp, opened the door to the spare bedroom and pulled back the sheets on the bed. He walked back into the living room and slid his arms around the sleeping man on his couch and carried him to bed. Myungjun drowsily wrapped his arms around the Jinwoo’s neck and buried his head into his chest. Jinwoo slid Myungjun into the bed and pulled the sheets over him, kissed his forehead, and retreated to his own bed.

A few hours later, Jinwoo heard a faint knock on his door. “Jinwoo? Jinwoo, are you awake?” He heard a faint honey-like voice ask quietly.

“Myungjun, what's the matter?”

“I can’t … I can’t sleep. can I sleep with you?” Myungjun asked timidly, the words escaping his mouth in a whisper.

“Of course, love, come here.” Jinwoo shifted in the bed, pushing himself to one side to allow Myungjun enough room. The older boy slid under the covers and curled into Jinwoo’s arms. 

As he fell asleep, Jinwoo heard the older boy whisper, “Jinwoo, I really like it here, I really do. Thank you for helping me.” 

In response, Jinwoo pulled the older boy closer, feeling him melt into his touch, and said, “I'm really glad you're here, Myungjun,” he said before slipping into unconsciousness.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, what do you guys think is going to happen next?? Who do you think is going to show up soon?


	3. Grocery Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo continues his care for Myungjun, but how Myungjun is accustomed to thanking people isn't what Jinwoo expects.

Jinwoo woke first. It took a second for him to remember why there was another man in his bed, curled into his chest. He ruffled Myungjun’s hair, then smoothed it. The older boy began to wake at Jinwoo’s touch, and he pulled himself closer into Jinwoo, not wanting to wake up.

Jinwoo began running his hands down Myungjuns arms, trying to get the other boy to rouse. A few minutes later, Myungjun began to respond to the gentle touches, willing himself to stretch and rub his eyes. After a few sleepy blinks, trying to register his surroundings, he sat up. Jinwoo was drawing circles in the other boys side with his fingers lazily, attempting to comfort him. 

“Did you sleep okay here?” Jinwoo asked quietly. 

“I don’t remember the last time I slept that well,” Myungjun responded, turning to smile at Jinwoo. 

Eventually, Jinwoo got up and made them breakfast consisting of eggs, rice, and a few side dishes he had left over. Again, Myungjun ate it with gusto, commenting, with his mouth full of food, on how good of a cook Jinwoo is. 

“I don't have anything scheduled for today, so we can go to the grocery store and just hang out around here,” Jinwoo said with a smile. He was excited to get to know Myungjun more and to spend more time with the boy he’d taken in. 

After they finish eating, Jinwoo loaned Myungjun some of his nicer clothes so they could go out, mentally making a note to get Myungjun some clothes of his own. They both got dressed and headed out to Jinwoo’s car, Myungjun breaking the silence first. 

“So…last night, you told me you’re not…a pimp? Then what are you exactly?” he asked softly, full of apprehension.

“I'm an undercover cop,” Jinwoo smiled. Maybe Myunjuns trust in him hadn't been totally shattered after all. “I basically go to brothels and ‘buy’ call girls that are going to be disposed of. I take them back to my safe house, rehabilitate them, and give them new lives outside of the sex ring.” 

It took Myungjun a second to process what he'd been told. He thought Jinwoo liked him and had taken a shining to him, but it seemed he was just doing his job. 

They arrived at the grocery store after only a short drive. Jinwoo had thought that with two people at the store the trip would take half the time as it usually took him, but it actually took twice as long. At some point, they were wandering the aisles and “Love Scenario” began to play over the speakers, causing Myungjun to start dancing. Jinwoo laughed as Myungjun wiggled his way down the aisle, tossing random things they didn't need into the cart. When Myungjun tried to put an expensive knife block set in, Jinwoo shook his head. 

“We don't need that,” he said with a goofy smile on his face. This boy would be the death of him.

Myungjun smiled mischievously at Jinwoo. “But how do you know we don't need it?” 

Jinwoo patted the older boys fluffy hair and sat the knife set back on the shelf. “We don't need it because I said we don't.” Myungjun groaned in fake anguish as they continued to the next aisle. As they rounded the corner Jinwoo saw Myungjun’s eyes light up like a kid on Christmas. 

“Cereal!” Myungjun squealed. 

He ran down the aisle and started to shimmy his hips to whatever song was now playing over the loudspeaker. At the sight, Jinwoo doubled over in a fit of laughter. When he caught his breath, he noticed Myungjun’s attention was drawn to him rather than the cereal now. 

“Jinwoo?”

“Yes, Myungjun?”

“You have…a dimple.”

Jinwoo smiled at Myungjun again, revealing the small dimple at the corner of his mouth. “Yes, I do.” He felt a small blush rise in his cheeks. Not many people ever pointed out his dimple. Most people only spoke about his eyes when he smiled. It was nice having someone notice things about him that not many people spoke about. Myungjun hopped back down the aisle until he was within arms reach of Jinwoo. Myungjun reached up and poked the small dimple on cheek, causing the younger boy to blush profusely. 

“Its so tiny and cute, just like you,” Myungjun said softly. 

Jinwoos hand rose up to meet Myungjun’s intertwining their fingers and bringing their hands down between them. Myungjun skipped back down the aisle, dragging Jinwoo with him. He grabbed box after box of cereal and loaded them all into their cart until it couldn't hold anymore. When Jinwoo told Myungjun he thought they had enough cereal, Myungjun pouted at him. 

“We can come back and get more when you finish these, okay?” 

“Fine,” Myungjun huffed.

They headed to the checkout, a bit later. They tangled their fingers together again, not even realizing it. 

When they finished unloading all of the food they bought into the car, they headed back to Jinwoo’s apartment. On the way home, however, Jinwoo took Myungjun to a small thrift store. When Jinwoo stopped the car Myungjun shook his head out of whatever daydream he was buried in. 

“What are we doing here?” Myungjun asked.

“Well, you can't wear my clothes forever, so I thought we’d get you some of your own.”

“But Jinwoo, I don't have the money to go shopping.”

“This is actually covered by your rehabilitation fees. The government gives me a monthly allowance for everyone under my care. Part of your responsibilities will be to learn how to budget your money so that when you do get a job you don't fall into hard times again.” 

“Oh, well, I guess it’s fine then.” 

They spent over an hour browsing the store, Myungjun darting from rack to rack, pulling out every shirt he thought was cute and tossing it to Jinwoo. One toss, in particular, ended up with the shirt landing on Jinwoo’s face, causing both of them to double over in a fit of laughter. 

When they got home they put all of the clothes they bought in the wash and Jinwoo started dinner. Myungjun was curled up on the couch with Haegi, when Jinwoo spoke over the TV. 

“Hey, do you wanna come help me with dinner?”

“I uh, don't know how to cook. When we were kids, my mom always did it. And after my parents passed away, Sanha and I lived off of takeout, and the lady who lived next door to us would cook us dinner a few times a week.”

“Sanha?”

“Yeah, that's my brother's name. I'd show you a picture but when I started… um...well, you know - I-I sent him all of our family pictures so they wouldn't get lost.” Myungjun stammered out.

“Well, I'm sure we can look him up online? What's his full name?”

“Yoon Sanha. He's a student at Chung-Ang University.”

Jinwoo handed Myungjun his phone with the Facebook app open.

“Type his name in here, and let's see if we can find him,” Jinwoo said through the food he was chewing.

They ate dinner as they searched on multiple social media platforms looking for pictures of Myungjun’s little brother. After over thirty minutes of searching, Myungjun finally found a photo of him on a Facebook page for his university’s student government.

“He didn’t tell me about this. He's apparently the student body president?” Myungjun continued to look through the photo album with a puzzled look on his face as Jinwoo looked on.

Jinwoo immediately saw the stark differences between Myungjun and his brother. The boy sitting next to him on the couch was small and round. His brother however seemed to be almost a foot taller and much more slender. Myungjun’s short stature was something Jinwoo found enduring, because most people he knew towered over him, but Myungjun was just a little bit taller than him.

After Myungjun finished scrolling through the photos, he quickly ate the rest of his dinner, making several noises of pleasure that made Jinwoo want to do unspeakable things to the delicate boy sitting in his living room. He quickly removed himself from the room, Myungjun looking at him questioningly as he almost waddled to the bathroom to hide his growing erection.

As Jinwoo started to pleasure himself, running his fingers down his swollen member, groaning at the touch, he heard a knock at the door.

“Y-yes?” he panted trying not to make it obvious what he was doing.

Myungjun cracked the door open a bit, peeking in to see Jinwoo's face all red and flushed. He glanced down to see a massive bulge in the younger man's pants. Myungjun giggled and let himself into the room while Jinwoo tried to push him out.

Jinwoo pushed his back into the wall as Myungjun inched closer. Searching the younger boys face for some kind of clue as to what he wanted, he found nothing but continued closer as Jinwoo tried to control his breathing.

When Myungjun had gotten himself a few inches from Jinwoo's face, Jinwoo's breath hitched as Myungjun grabbed his hips, closing the space between them. Myungjun pressed his lips hard onto Jinwoo's and ground his hips into the other boy's large erection making jinwoo hiss into Myungjun's mouth.

Jinwoo eventually was able to peel Myungjun off him. Panting desperately, he slid his back down the wall behind him and curled himself into the fetal position.

“Di-did I do something wrong?” Myungjun asked quietly, fear evident in his tone.

“No, no, it's just too soon, love," Jinwoo stuttered out, not adding that him having relationships with the people he rescued was highly off limits, and what had transpired could get him in a lot of trouble or even fired.

Myungjun retreated into the other room as Jinwoo composed himself. After a few minutes jinwoo wandered into the living room, he found Myungjun on the sofa with haegi.

“Let's go to bed hun,” Jinwoo said breathily. He tried not to think about the spark he felt when Myungjun kissed him, wondering if Myungjun had felt it as well.

They curled up in Jinwoo's bed, Haegi curling up as well at Myungjun’s feet. 

The next morning Myungjun awoke to the smell of something wonderful coming from the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes and wandered into the next room where Jinwoo had made strawberry pancakes. His eyes as big as saucers when he saw Jinwoo pouring a homemade strawberry syrup over the pink tinted pancakes.

They both shoveled the pancakes in their mouths, Myungjun was about halfway finished when Jinwoo began to talk.

“so uh, I have someone coming over today,” jinwoo fumbled over his words as Myungjun looked up at him.

“oh?”

“He’s the on-call therapist at my safe house and since you don’t feel comfortable going there yet, I've asked him to come here.

“Jinwoo I don-“

“Myungjun you need to do this, and if you feel uncomfortable, I'll be right here. Seungmin is a great guy. He's heard a lot, so nothing you tell him is going to shake him, I promise.”

“You'll stay with me?” Myungjun asked sheepishly.

“Before he starts the session, you'll have to fill out some papers saying if you want your records released to anyone or if anyone is allowed to sit in your sessions with you. You put down my name, and I'll be there every time you have one.”

Myungjun smiled at Jinwoo as he polished off his pancakes, syrup dripping out of the corner of his mouth. Jinwoo licked his thumb and ran it across Myungjun's chin, clearing it of the sticky residue. They both blushed as the doorbell rang.

“That'll be Seungmin,” Jinwoo said quietly before heading to the door. “You ready?” he asked Myungjun quietly. The older boy just nodded his head as Jinwoo opened the door.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI GUYS!! im so sorry its taken me so long to get this chapter out. after my semester ended in December I was working nonstop for two weeks and then I went out of the country for two weeks at the beginning of this month! but now that uni has started back i promise ill try to update more often!


	4. Cat Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun is slowly starting to make progress. his life is starting to return to some kind of normalicy after years of torment and abuse. Dongmin returns, but at a cost. someone else appears ;).

“Thanks for today Seungmin. Same time next week?”

“Sure thing, Jinwoo.”

Seungmin left and Jinwoo closed the door behind him. Jinwoo walked back to where Myungjun was sat on the couch and collapsed beside him.

“I didn’t realize it was that much,” Jinwoo said with a sigh. He turned to Myungjun, who ruffled the younger boy’s hair and then reached down and took his hands.

“Its okay now. I'm going to be okay now. I feel more safe here than anywhere else I've lived in years.”

Myungjun maneuvered himself so he was half cradling Jinwoo, who was completely overwhelmed from everything he’d just learned. The younger boy leaned into Myungjun’s touch, letting his mind wander to where it was only two nights ago. He had so many questions for Myungjun but was too anxious to ask any of them. So they just existed here, Jinwoo curled into Myungjun’s lap, willing every soft touch his fingers gave. Myungjun stared blankly at the wall in front of him, only coming back to himself when he heard Jinwoo’s soft moans. Myungjun thoughtlessly toyed with Jinwoo’s hair and ran his fingers down his side.

Noticing Jinwoo was on the verge of tears, Myungjun gently cupped Jinwoos cheek, turning the younger boy’s face so he was looking at him.

“Jinwoo, is something wrong? You seem kind of…upset?”

“No, no nothing is wrong, I’m just—” Jinwoo stumbled over his words, not knowing how to continue. Myungjun peered down at the boy in his lap, still running his fingers through Jinwoo’s hair.

“You're just what?” Myungjun questioned. “You can talk to me; I’m not as fragile as I seem, you know.”

 _Myungjun was right_ , Jinwoo thought to himself. He’d been babying Myungjun the past two days like a fragile china doll, when he was, in fact, a man.

“Well, today during…your session, I learned a lot of things about you that I didn't expect and I...I have a lot of questions. You don't have to answer them if you don't want to, I'm just really curious and I want to get to know you better.”

“What do you want to ask me?”

“Well, when it first started—the, uh, the abuse—why didn't you leave?”

“Before Dongmin left me at that brothel, we were actually dating. I thought he loved me. If I only had myself to think about, I would've left, trust me, but I have to take care of Sanha.”

“Does Sanha know how you get the money for his school?”

“He thinks I’m still a call center operator, so no, he doesn't know and I never want him to know.”

“What else happened after Dongmin left you?” Jinwoo asked. He’d now sat up, holding Myungjun’s hands as the older boy accounted all of the abuse he had been subjected to over the past few years.

“Well, I was tossed around houses for several weeks. It felt like no one wanted me anymore. Honestly, though, out of all the men I was with, Dongmin treated me the best. He may have hit me, but this one guy locked me in a basement for almost two weeks and would only feed me when he felt like it. He only came down there when he wanted sex, and would bring me food as a ‘reward’ so I couldn’t not…do things even though I hated it. He gave me a day off and let me outside. That day, I ran away and never went back. Then there was another guy.” Myungjun shuttered at the thought. “He, uh, he really got off on seeing his partners in pain. He's the one that…did this to me.” Myungjun lifted up the back of his shirt to expose scarred lash marks. Jinwoo traced his fingers down one of them. He wanted to kiss all of Myungjun’s scars, but he knew he wasn't supposed to, so he pulled the older boy into his arms instead.

“I still don't understand why you didn't leave these awful, terrible people,” Jinwoo sighed.

“You really don't get it do you?” Myungjun retorted. “I have to take care of Sanha! My parents left him to me; he's my responsibility. You're an only child, you'll never understand,” Myungjun huffed, pushing away from Jinwoo's embrace.

Jinwoo suddenly got up and grabbed an old picture frame, handing it to Myungjun. He flipped the frame over questioningly and saw young Jinwoo with a little girl who shared his eyes and wide smiile.

“Who is this?” Myungjun asked

“Jinae, she was my little sister,” Jinwoo muttered.

“Was?”

“We were outside playing one day. It was my responsibility to watch her,” Jinwoo murmured. “but I turned my head for two minutes to talk to my friend. When I turned around, she had driven her tricycle into the street. I ran after her, but I was too late. Right before I got to her, she got hit by a big truck that didn’t see her. She was crushed right before my eyes, died instantly. So I understand more than anything your responsibility to your brother.” he choked out.

Jinwoo’s eyes welled with tears, and he let out a soft whine.

“I think I need some time alone. I-I’m sorry,” he said, retreating into his bedroom and locking the door.

 

 _Text from Mom:_ Hi Dongmin, I know we haven’t spoken in a while but some of your mail was delivered here. I was wondering if you could come get it sometime this week?

 _Text to Mom:_ sure, I’ll come by on saturday if that works for you?

 _Text from Mom:_ okay see you then.

Dongmin walked into his mom’s apartment two days later. She’d lost a lot of weight since the last time he’d seen her. Her eyes were different too. The two of them had always had a rocky relationship but he had never seen his mom so full of rage. He closed the door as she threw his mail, which was open, at him and began to scream.

“Lee Dongmin! What the actual hell is wrong with you? You're lucky I don't call the fucking cops on you! I’m so disappointed don't ever show your fucking face around me again. You're not my child, not anymore.”

Dongmin glanced at the letter, trying to piece together what his mom was so angry about. It was a late fee for one of the bills he’d forgotten to pay for the brothel. It had been redirected here for some reason. _shit._

“Mom? Please, I didn't know what else to do. I'll stop, I’ll shut the whole place down. Please don't go, you're the only person that I have left,” Dongmin cried out, tears running down his cheeks.

“You're worse than your fucking father. At least he knew what he did wrong and paid for it with his life. You have no remorse, no conscious; all you do is hurt innocent people. Get the fuck out of my house. I'm not your mother.”

Dongmin wandered into the street, hailed a cab and asked to be taken to the closest bar; he needed a drink. The taxi let him out in a sketchy part of town, He stumbled into the bar, drying his cheeks. The bartender gazed up at him with sympathetic cat-like eyes.

“What can I get for you?” The bartender asked. His voice was soft and gentle while his body was anything but. Dongmin noticed harsh lines and bulging muscles that peaked out underneath his shirt.

“Uh, a, vodka cranberry?” Dongmin sputtered out, trying not to break out in tears again.

The bartender cocked his head and smiled at Dongmin. His cat eyes looked more puppyish now. His eyes had turned into crescents, his big, toothy smile, dongmin noticed he had one slightly crooked front tooth. It warmed his heart. Dongmin returned the bartender’s smile, but felt a tear streak down his cheek as the other boy looked back up at him.

“Are you okay?” the bartender asked, seeming slightly concerned for Dongmin. No one had shown him any amount of kindness for a very long time. “You seem kind of out of sorts. Do you wanna talk about it?” the bartender asked passing Dongmin the drink. “Open or closed?”

“Leave it open, I have a feeling I’ll be here a while,” Dongmin responded, passing his credit card to the cute bartender. “What's your name?”

“Moon Bin, What about you?” Bin asked, passing Dongmin back his card.

“Lee Dongmin.” for some reason he felt like he could trust this man. he hadn't had anyone he could confide in, in what felt like eons.

“So, Lee Dongmin, what brings you to this part of town?” Bin asked.

Looking around, Dongmin realized just how shady of an area he was in. He shrugged; might as well tell someone; it wasn’t like he'd ever see this guy again, anyway.

“Well, I kinda got into a bit of trouble. When I started high school, my dad had a real bad gambling problem. He spent all of our money and ended up killing himself halfway into my senior year. I’d studied so hard and was destined for an Ivy League University in the States. But since we had no money, I couldn't go anymore,” Dongmin said, finishing off his drink and motioning for another. Bin started making the next one as Dongmin continued his story. “I got involved in a gang for a bit. My mom was so distraught about my dad using all of our money that she kind of was a shell of herself for a bit. When she decided to be part of society again, I was neck deep in a sex ring that I was the leader of. I kept it under covers for...well it's been five years now. She found out about it today and basically disowned me.”

Moonbin looked at the man in front of him with wide eyes. He was shocked that someone seemingly as well dressed as Dongmin would be the leader of a sex ring, but he’d heard worse. After Dongmin finished his story, Bin gave him his second drink. Bin was about to ask Dongmin something but then a large rush came in the empty bar. Bin sighed, “I'll be back for you.”

About six drinks in, Bin cut Dongmin off. The rush had lulled and they were alone again. Bin passed Dongmin a piece of paper, and Dongmin froze when he felt Bin’s hand brush against his own. “When you're not as drunk, call me? I'd love to get to know more about you, Lee Dongmin,” Bin said.

He swore he saw Bin wink at him before he disappeared into the back room of the bar.

Dongmin hopped into a cab and told the man his address, running the paper in his coat pocket through his fingers.

  


“Myungjun? Where is my tie. You know, the one you had tied around your head last night?”

Jinwoo heard a giggle come from the other room, only to see Myungjun appear with Haegi, the tie now around her head.

“I swear to god, if you keep putting clothes on my dog, I'm going to call the cops and report you for animal abuse,” Jinwoo said, laughing under his breath.

“One, its your dog and your clothes so they would just think you did it. Two, Jinwoo,  you literally _are the police_. What are you gonna do—Arrest yourself?”

Jinwoo scoffed, “Or I could arrest you,” he winked at the older boy as he took the tie off his dog and loosened it to fit around his own neck.

Suddenly, Myungjun’s phone rang.

“H-hello?” Myungjun answered. “ _Sanha! what's going on? How are you_?”

Jinwoo smiled and returned to his room to give Myungjun some space.

“Mhm, okay, I'll see what I can do! How's school? How’s Rocky? I really need to come see you guys—it's been so so long!”

Jinwoo could hear the utter adoration in Myungjun’s voice while he talked to his little brother.

“Ooh, would that be allowed? Ah! Okay! Well, I may bring someone with me, if that's alright? We can talk about this more later—go study! I love you!”

Jinwoo walked back into the living room just as Myungjun ended the call. Myungjun turned and looked at Jinwoo with the biggest smile on his face.

 _“We get to go see Sanha!_ ” he shrieked, and ran towards Jinwoo, then threw his arms around the other boy’s neck.

Jinwoo stumbled back, He wrapped his arms around Myungjun’s waist, and their noses brushed against each other as Myungjun was excitedly swinging himself from Jinwoo’s neck.

“Ooh, when?” Jinwoo knew how much Myungjun adored his brother, and he wanted to help to facilitate their relationship now that Myungjun was in a stable environment again.

“In a few weeks! His university is having a ‘parents day’ but he told one of the directors about our family situation and the director said it was fine for me to come instead! I told him I was gonna bring someone with me, though, and he said it would be okay!” Myungjun was nearly squealing every word that was coming out of his mouth.

“Oh? Who are you taking with you?” Jinwoo poked Myungjun’s side, causing the older boy to squeal and flail in Jinwoo's arms, almost making them both fall over.

“I don't know, I haven't asked him yet,” Myungjun said, winking at Jinwoo.

“Well, you better ask him soon; he may have plans!” Jinwoo said, returning Myungjun’s wink.

The alarm on Jinwoo’s phone went off, ruining the moment because that meant he had to leave for work. He let Myungjun go and turned off the alarm. As he headed to the door, he heard Myungjun call out, “Will you go see Sanha with me?”

“Anything for you, Junnie,” he said booping Myungjun's nose.

“Okay, Jinnie,” Myungjun returned, running his fingers through Jinwoo’s gelled hair, making him huff as he closed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BIN IS IN THE HOUSE!! Rocky and Sanha will be here soon!!! what do you guys think will happen next?? ( sorry its taking so long for me to update, i'm trying to stay on top of school and so my fics are suffering. thanks for being patient with me!! <3


	5. Night Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Myungjun and Jinwoo begin to realize their feelings for each other, something stands in their way. will it work out? or will they be forced to hide their feelings when in the company of others?

That night when Jinwoo got home, Myungjun was making dinner; well, attempting to make dinner.

“I honestly have no idea what I’m doing,” Myungjun said from the kitchen, anxiety present in his tone. “I just know that you work so hard all day helping people while I sit around here and do nothing. I at least want to try not to be a burden.”

Jinwoo took one bite of the concoction Myungjun had made and had to force himself to choke it down.

“Please be honest with me. I know its bad,” Myungjun whined.

“Let’s just order a pizza,” Jinwoo giggled. He wrapped his arm around the older man’s waist, trying not to make him feel bad about his terrible cooking.

 

“Myungjun, wake up!” Jinwoo groaned and shook the boy in his bed, but he refused to move. “I have a surprise!”

Myungjun rolled to face Jinwoo and grumbled nonsensically. He stuck out his tongue and kept his eyes closed, pretending he was dead.

“Oh no! Myungjun! Come back to me, love!” Jinwoo chuckled while giving him fake CPR.

Myungjun giggled softly, and as Jinwoo drew closer, he grabbed the younger boy’s sides and began tickling him mercilessly.

After Jinwoo had caught his breath, Myungjun looked at him questioningly.   
“A surprise?” he asked, a hint of anticipation in his voice, “Jinnie I love surprises!” He wriggled himself closer to Jinwoo, their noses almost touching.

Myungjun looked slightly panicked, but not scared. Jinwoo was about to pull him into a hug when he heard Haegi barking. Myungjun’s face fell shyly into the palms of his hands like a teenager who had been caught with a flame, and he maneuvered himself out of bed.

“She’s probably hungry,” he whispered. Once he opened the door, Haegi started running circles around Myungjun, and then bolting around the apartment. Jinwoo knew there was some weird connection between his dog and his boyfriend- no, his friend, they were just friends. They could only be friends.

Jinwoo heard Haegi yapping as Myungjun opened the cupboard where he kept Haegi’s food, all the while shushing the impatient pup. After she was content, Myungjun stuck his head back in the bedroom door and asked “So, what's this surprise you were talking about?”

“Get dressed! But wear something that you won't mind getting kind of dirty!” Jinwoo grinned widely while Myungjun squinted his eyes at him, trying to figure out where they were going before retreating to his own room to get ready.

They drove quietly towards Jinwoo’s surprise while Myungjun peered out the window. Jinwoo looked over at Myungjun every once in a while, his memory going back to the night he brought Myungjun home. He felt his heart swell with love and pride at how much the man beside him had changed in just a few months. He seemed to be completely free of worry; for the most part. Sometimes he had horrible nightmares, but as Jinwoo peered over at him again, a slight smile forming on Myungjun’s lips as they drove in silence, he realized that for the first time since he was a kid, Myungjun felt safe. He was loved and cared for and was bettering himself every day. Jinwoo didn't realize he was blushing, but Myungjun did. When he looked over again Myungjun was looking at him with big, curious, doll-like eyes, which caused jinwoo to turn more red than he already was.

“Jinnie, where are we going?” Myungjun whispered, curiosity majorly evident in his tone.

“We’ll be there in just a few minutes, I promise!” Jinwoo answered, absentmindedly reaching over to touch Myungjun’s arm. Myungjun flinched at the contact, but then started to relax. It was very obvious he was still on edge when anyone touched him after all that he had been through, but he had slowly started to accept the hugs Jinwoo gave. He accepted how Jinwoo’s hands always seem to wander somewhere on him whenever the two of them were alone, and he had started to really enjoy all these soft touches, or it seemed. They calmed him down when he was on edge, comforted him when he was sad, and the gentle touches had started to make him happy, a happy that he never wanted to end.

 

Jinwoos car came to a stop outside of a little shop in a quaint historic shopping center, Myungjun wasn’t paying attention, so Jinwoo ran his hand down the other boy’s arm into his hand. “Myungjun we’re here! Hello, earth to Myungjun!”

The older boy finally came to and jumped a little. “Sorry, I was, uh, thinking about something. Where are we?”

Jinwoo peered at the boy, who was gripping his hand very tightly. “There's a sign on the door in front of us love, read it!”

“Yoojin’s Kitchen? What is this? A bakery or something?”

“It's a place where you can have cooking lessons! I've booked us for the day, since your cooking the other night was _so wonderful,_ and you seemed really interested in learning! This was the only place I could find in such short notice, which is why it took so long to get here.” Jinwoo glanced over at Myungjun, who seemed to be in shock. “If you don't wanna do it, we can cancel, although I don't know if I could get my money back on such short—” Jinwoo was instantly cut off by Myungjun’s lips pressing against his cheek. They both stared at each other with wide eyes, and then Myungjun blushed and looked away.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I know we've talked about boundaries, but I, I really appreciate this. I've had people in the past who have told me _I'm only looking out for your best interest,_ or _this is for your own good_  but you, you really care. I don't care if this is part of your program or not, but you really want the best for me. You really want me to learn how to be an independent and functioning person, and I really appreciate you.” When he finished. he reached down and patted Jinwoo’s thigh, shyly beaming at him. “Come on, let’s _go_!” Myungjun said excitedly while wiggling his shoulders at Jinwoo. They headed inside, and once in the door, Jinwoo reached for Myungjun’s hand, pulling him up the stairs into the small space. The two of them giggled because Jinwoo missed a step, fell over, and pulled Myungjun down with him.

The next few hours passed in a blur as their instructor taught them how to make side dishes such as fish cake, kimchi, picked radishes, and appetizers like leek and kimchi pancakes, pork and kimchi mandu, and tteokbokki. Then came several main courses like naengmyeon, bibimbap, and samgyetang. Myungjun got confused making the mandu; he'd never folded dumplings before, and the way the instructor was showing them was quite complicated. He kept putting too much filling, and then too little. He almost got so upset he started crying, but Jinwoo stood behind him and eased his hands over the older boy’s, showing him how to press the dough and roll the filling, then how to crease the dough and wet the edges so they stick. Myungjun pressed his back into Jinwoo’s chest as Jinwoo repeated the action in front of him, then he took over and made one on his own.

“That's perfect!” The instructor marvelled at the mandu Myungjun had made, placing it in a steaming basket.  

After they finished cooking, Myungjun collapsed into a chair and rubbed his temples. The cooking lessons had been a lot of fun, but he'd learned so much and his brain was struggling to process it all. Jinwoo began to box up all the food they had made so they could take it home and eat it, but then he noticed how exhausted Myungjun was and went over to him.

“Hey, you okay? We’re just gonna pack up here and then we can walk around and get some air if you want.” Jinwoo knelt beside the other boy and danced his fingers down his arm. Myungjun looked up at him and smiled at the contact.

“I’m okay, it's just a lot. Thank you for this though, I really enjoyed it.” Myungjun raised his arms up and pulled Jinwoo into a really tight hug, his lips accidentally brushing the younger boy’s forehead as they pulled away.

Jinwoo turned bright red and then walked back over to the prep counters and started putting the food in containers he’d brought from home. “It's no problem, really. I'm really glad you enjoyed it! We’ll have to come back again once you've mastered all of these!” Jinwoo packed the food up quickly, glancing over his shoulder at Myungjun every so often to make sure he was okay. After the third or fourth time he looked over, Myungjun started to catch on. The next time Jinwoo looked over at him, the older boy pulled a face, filling the room with laughter. Once all the food was packed, they thanked the instructor and headed down to Jinwoo’s car to put away the things they had made before exploring the shopping center.

 

It was almost sunset and the sky looked like a painting, streaked with vibrant pinks and oranges. Myungjun marvelled at the man walking along beside him. This man had become so much to him in just a few short months. After today, though, Myungjun was having a hard time deciphering his feelings towards Jinwoo. As they walked along the windows of shops, some whom had already closed for the day and others who were packed with customers, a strong breeze blew through their path, tossing Myungjun’s long wavy hair around his face. He stopped for just a moment, closed his eyes and took a deep breath; for the first time in years he felt really truly at peace, and now he felt alive. He could feel every strand of his hair being blown in the wind. His fingers outstretched as the breeze blew into them as well. When he opened his eyes, he realized Jinwoo was staring at him with a soft smile on his face. He walked over to him and intertwined his fingers with the younger boy’s, but Jinwoo just shook his hand away and continued down the path. _Wh-what just happened?_ Myungjun thought to himself. Jinwoo had more or less been all over him all day. They had flirted pretty much non-stop through that entire cooking lesson, and now Jinwoo was just going to blow him off like that? Myungjun’s mind started to wander as they walked the streets around the shopping center. They walked pretty much in silence until they took a wrong turn and ended up on a street that was home to at least fifteen different bars and nightclubs. At first Myungjun was scared. This was the life he'd gotten away from, the person he no longer wanted to be, but alcohol helped him think and it made him more brave. “Jinwoo, I'm going in here,” he said pointing at a bar called ‘The Wild Boar’ and carried himself inside before he could hear Jinwoo’s protests behind him.

The bouncer remembered him; he used to frequent this place a lot when he was on duty.

“Haven't seen you in a while, pretty boy. Who’s that with you? Another one of your ‘friends?’”, the bouncer winked at Myungjun, who rolled his eyes at the buff and rather large man in front of him.

“Just heckle him a bit before you let him in, please? I need a drink before he gets too riled up.”

“You got it, chief. Have fun in there.”

Myungjun made his way to the bar and ordered two different drinks, before retreating to one of the more secluded tables in the back. As he downed the first drink, he realized how long it had been since he had drank. He felt the loud music pulsing through him as he started the second drink Here, he was in his element. Here, he could have any man he desired. He raised his hand to the bartender to order a second round. The place was basically empty so she brought him the drinks quickly. He’d began to sip the second drink when he spotted Jinwoo enter the bar. His hair was pushed back; he'd been running his fingers through it. He did that when he was anxious. His eyes darted from side to side, sweeping the bar like he was on a mission. He spotted Myungjun in the back booth and all but ran over to him. He slid into the booth on the opposite side from the older boy. “What the fuck are you thinking?” he yelled, but the music was so loud it drowned him out. Myungjun pointed at the seat beside him, inviting Jinwoo to join him.

“What’d you say?” Myungjun said, leaning into Jinwoo’s ear.

Jinwoo grabbed his drink, but Myungjun grabbed his hand before he even had a sip of it. He wagged his finger at Jinwoo. “These are mine, get your own,” he hissed at the younger boy, his lips curling into a teasing smile. Jinwoo headed over to the bar and came back quickly, his eyes on Myungjun almost the entire time. Myungjun noticed this, and he made good use of it. Every other place Jinwoo had taken him, it was always in Jinwoo’s element. But here, Myungjun realized how much he loved the nightlife. It attracted him, like a moth to a flame. And so he teased the boy who was with him, he infuriated him; it was all just part of his game. Once Jinwoo came back to the booth, Myungjun gripped at the younger boy’s shirt collar. Jinwoo was frozen, but Myungjun kept going. He took Jinwoo’s hand in his, and placed it on his own neck. He could feel the Jinwoo cup his neck and then run his fingers up, into his long, wavy hair. But suddenly, Jinwoo stopped. He pulled his hands away, pulled Myungjun’s hand off of him, then turned and downed the drink the bartender had sat in front of him.

“Myungjun, we need to go home. we need to talk about this,” Jinwoo said, shaking his head and running his hands through his damp hair.

“Why can't we talk about it here? Why do you keep brushing me off? Why don't you want me? Am I just another number to you? Someone else for you to fix? I don't understand you. When we’re alone, you're all over me. Your hands are constantly touching me, and I like it. I really like you, Jinwoo. I've never liked someone as much as I like you. You're helpful and caring, and you listen to me. You have helped me see a future for myself, for us. But then you push me away. Please dont stop caring. I don't know what I’d do if you left me like this. I'd rather be dead than be without you.” Myungjun stopped himself from babbling more. He looked up at jinwoo with wide eyes and saw wide eyes staring back at him.

They sat in silence for a few seconds. Myungjun took another sip of his drink, finishing it, then added, “Jinwoo, can we go home? I'd really like to go home.”

Jinwoo just nodded and took the older boy’s hand, leading him back to his car.

The drive home was mostly silent, though it was full stolen glances.

When they walked through the door, Jinwoo motioned for Myungjun to sit while he fed Haegi. He put her and her food in her rarely-used kennel and closed the gate. When the older boy looked at him questioningly, Jinwoo just responded, “No distractions,” and joined the older boy on the couch.

“Going back to what you said at the bar, since you confessed to me, even if you were intoxicated, I just want to know that you meant what you said before we move forward.” Jinwoo said, peering over at Myungjun.

The older boy simply nodded and added, “I did mean it. I  _ do _ mean it. I like you.” 

Jinwoo reached over and took Myungjun’s hands in his. “Okay, so here's the issue: I like you too. I really enjoy your company, and we fit so well together, but if my boss or anyone else found out I was trying to pursue you romantically, or vice versa, they’d fire me. They’d fire me and move you into another officer’s care. You said you didn't want to be without me, but this is what we're up against. When were inside, away from people we know or alone, we can be whatever we want. But to the public, we can only be friends, nothing more. At least until you're out of my care, and maybe then we can become public.” 

The way Myungjun looked at Jinwoo was like he was seeing him for the first time. He never realized what small actions could have put them in jeopardy, or could've gotten jinwoo fired. As Myungjun sat and thought about the situation, the day started to catch up with him. He’d been out of bed since early that morning, and after an entire day of cooking and then drinking, it was catching up to him. He curled into Jinwoo’s side and yawned. 

“What if i just leave the program before I graduate? What would they do?” he asked sleepily, trying to keep his eyes open.

“If you left, they’d incarcerate you. Sex work is illegal in Korea. This is a state-funded rehab program to reinstate sex workers into the general population. But if you leave before you finish, they will arrest you. It’s happened to several of my previous clients.” 

Myungjun yawned again. “Jinnie, can we go to bed? I'm so sleepy, I don't know how much longer I can stay awake.”

“Of course we can go to sleep, love, come on.” Jinwoo wrapped one of his arms around Myungjuns waist. The other was curled into the older boys fingers that had found their way around his shoulders. 

 

Jinwoo smiled at the sleepy boy curled into his side, his hair fanned out around his head on his pillow. As Jinwoo drifted in and out of consciousness, he know whatever happened they'd figure it out together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhhhHHHHHHHHH THIS HAS TAKEN SO LONG, i'm so sorry! this was my first full semester back at uni and it kicked my ass and took all my writing motivation away, i'm on break right now, and my summer load is a lot lighter! so hopefully i can get more out during the next few months!! we'll meet Sanha and Rocky within the next two chapters! so stay tuned for that!

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh i hope you guys liked this, i'm fairly new to writing fanfics but this au needed to be written! please stay tuned for whats to come because i'm sure you're gonna love it. 
> 
> Also i want to thank Vonseal and astrominsung for helping me flesh out and formulate the plot for this, they also gave me alot of feedback and helped me edit too. this fic probably (definitely) wouldn't be as well formulated without you.


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